The connection of gender and sex is a topic that is treated in many of Shakespeare’s works. Seeing as the performance of actresses was forbidden, the female roles in the plays had to be played by young men, which might have often led to involuntarily absurd situations and unintended homoerotic innuendo. Shakespeare uses the subject of transvestism multiple times, making it even harder for the audience to differentiate between the actual gender of the actor, the gender of the role he embodies and that of the person his character impersonates. This confusion can be used to show that, apart from the outside appearance, men and women might actually not be so different and the discrimination against women as the weak and dependent sex stems from social conventions rather than natural circumstances.
Twelfth Night uses the characteristics of the carnivalesque to subvert the stereotypes for male and female behaviour in Renaissance Britain and to deconstruct the notion of a natural gender role that is dependent on the sex. To analyse the subversion, Renaissance gender roles are being introduced and compared to Olivia and Orsino as representations of both sexes. It will be shown how the cross-dressing of Viola alias Cesario represents an event that catalyses as well as performs the deconstruction of gender hierarchies by comparing it to Judith Butler’s “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory” and analysing the relationships between Orsino and Viola and Olivia and Viola respectively.
Moreover, the argumentation will illustrate the way in which the ending of the play adds to the impression of subversion and deconstruction of patriarchal gender hierarchies and uses the properties of carnival and comedy to allude to concepts frowned upon by society.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Gender Roles and the Function of Their Subversion in Twelfth Night
2.1 Male and Female Gender Roles in Shakespearean Times
2.1.2 Olivia – Male Fantasy or Independent Woman?
2.1.2 Orsino, the Renaissance Male Stereotype
2.2 Exposing Gender as Performance
2.2.1 The Unconventional Relationship Between Olivia and Cesario
2.2.2 The Master-Servant Relationship between Orsino and Cesario
2.3 Reinstating the Natural Order?
2.3.1 Olivia and Sebastian – a Female Master
2.3.2 Orsino and Viola – Status Over Gender
2.3.3 The Carnivalesque on Stage
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Main Themes
The primary objective of this work is to analyze how William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night employs carnivalesque elements to subvert and deconstruct the rigid binary gender hierarchies prevalent in Renaissance Britain. By examining the cross-dressing of Viola, the independent behavior of Olivia, and the character of Orsino, the paper investigates how the play challenges the notion of "natural" gender roles.
- Gender performativity in the context of Judith Butler’s theories.
- The socio-historical construction of masculinity and femininity in Elizabethan England.
- Subversion of traditional master-servant and romantic dynamics.
- The use of the "carnivalesque" to critique social and sexual hierarchies.
- The potential of theater to explore and question patriarchal structures.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2 Exposing Gender as Performance
The name of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night alludes to the twelfth night after Christmas, a holiday with carnivalesque traditions of subverting the social hierarchy for a limited period of time, a day where rules and conventions were turned topsy-turvy. Bakhtin refers to the carnivalistic sense of the world, defining carnival as a suspension of “everything resulting from socio-hierarchical inequality […] among people.” He proposes this carnivalistic sense of the world as a feature of the so-called genre of the serio-comical, a genre that combines comic elements with a more serious and realistic subject. It will be shown how Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night uses the characteristics of the carnivalesque to introduce through comical elements the more serious subject of gender and social hierarchy and their deconstruction. This is achieved by the transformation of Viola’s gender which subverts the already instable (as seen by the behaviour of Olivia) gender hierarchy in Illyria.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the connection between gender and sex in Shakespeare's works, introduces the play's themes of transvestism, and establishes the theoretical framework based on Judith Butler.
2. Gender Roles and the Function of Their Subversion in Twelfth Night: This chapter examines Renaissance gender norms, positioning Olivia and Orsino as representations of traditional female and male behaviors, and explores how these roles are challenged.
2.1 Male and Female Gender Roles in Shakespearean Times: This section provides the historical context of Elizabethan binary gender concepts and the perceived fragility and dependence of the female sex.
2.1.2 Olivia – Male Fantasy or Independent Woman?: This section analyzes how Olivia resists societal expectations and assumes a position of independent authority, thereby destabilizing traditional gender roles.
2.1.2 Orsino, the Renaissance Male Stereotype: This section contrasts Olivia with Orsino, who embodies active, aggressive masculinity and a romanticized, patriarchal view of marriage.
2.2 Exposing Gender as Performance: This section defines the "carnivalesque" and argues that the play uses theatricality to show gender as a social construct rather than a biological certainty.
2.2.1 The Unconventional Relationship Between Olivia and Cesario: This section discusses how the interactions between the two characters subvert binary expectations and highlight the performative nature of gender.
2.2.2 The Master-Servant Relationship between Orsino and Cesario: This section explores the homoerotic subtext within the power dynamics of the master-servant relationship between the Duke and his page.
2.3 Reinstating the Natural Order?: This section discusses the ending of the play, questioning whether the resolution actually reinforces traditional hierarchies or maintains a subversive potential.
2.3.1 Olivia and Sebastian – a Female Master: This section examines the marriage of Olivia and Sebastian, arguing that the power dynamic remains skewed in favor of Olivia's independence.
2.3.2 Orsino and Viola – Status Over Gender: This section analyzes how Orsino's lack of concern for gender, focusing instead on status, disrupts traditional patriarchal understanding of relationships.
2.3.3 The Carnivalesque on Stage: This section explains how the theatrical setting and comic genre protect the play's subversive content from social sanction.
3. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes how the play utilizes the carnivalesque to expose misogyny and promote the possibility of gender equality.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Gender Performativity, Renaissance, Carnivalesque, Judith Butler, Deconstruction, Patriarchy, Cross-dressing, Gender roles, Subversion, Illyria, Masculinity, Femininity, Theater.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper explores the deconstruction of traditional, binary gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night through the lens of Renaissance social history and gender theory.
What are the central thematic areas explored?
The work focuses on gender performativity, the historical construction of the "weaker sex," the subversion of social hierarchies through carnival, and the analysis of character relationships.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate that Shakespeare uses the carnivalesque to reveal gender as a social construct and to challenge the misogynistic hierarchies of the Elizabethan era.
Which methodology is applied?
The author uses a literary and cultural studies approach, specifically applying Judith Butler’s theories on performative acts to analyze the behavior of the play's protagonists.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body examines historical gender stereotypes, the individual roles of Olivia and Orsino, the performative nature of Viola’s cross-dressing, and how the play's ending serves as a site for deconstruction.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Gender Performativity, Carnivalesque, Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Social Construct, and Patriarchal Hierarchy.
How does the author interpret the relationship between Olivia and Sebastian?
The author suggests that their marriage does not restore the traditional, patriarchal order; rather, it allows Olivia to maintain her independence and authority while Sebastian adopts a more passive, servant-like role.
Why does the author argue that the play's subversive potential is "protected"?
The author argues that because the subversion occurs within the realm of theatrical performance and comedy, it is shielded from the harsh social sanctions that real-life transvestism would have faced in the Renaissance era.
- Quote paper
- Anonymous (Author), 2017, A Maid and a Man. Gender Performativity and the Subversive Potential of William Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1718686
